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Friday, September 21, 2012

Review: The Time of Women by Elena Chizhova

Title: The Time of Women
Author: Elena Chizhova
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Glagoslav
Publish Date: January 2012
Source: I received a copy from the publisher; however, this did not affect my review.

Why You're Reading This Book:

You're a historical fiction fan.

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "Life is not easy in the
Soviet Union at mid-20th century, especially for a factory worker who
becomes an unwed mother. But Antonina is lucky to get a room in a
communal apartment that she and her little girl share with three old
women. Glikeria is the daughter of former serfs. Ariadna comes from a
wealthy family and speaks French. Yevdokia is illiterate and bitter. All
have lost their families, all are deeply traditional, and all become
grannies to little Suzanna. Only they secretly name her Sofia. And just
as secretly they impart to her the history of her country as they
experienced it: the Revolution, the early days of the Soviet Union, the
blockade and starvation of World War II. The little girl responds by
drawing beautiful pictures, but she is mute. If the authorities find out
she will be taken from her home and sent to an institution. When
Antonina falls desperately ill, the grannies are faced with the reality
of losing the little girl they love unless a stepfather can be found
before it is too late. And for that, they need a miracle."

My Two Cents:

Russia
is such a fascinating place to me. Soviet era Russia is especially
fascinating to me. It was interesting to see how each generation saw
Soviet Russia differently. The grannies have seen the country change
from the Bolshevik Revolution to Communism's hold over the country
during the middle of the 20th century. They are retired now. Then you
have Antonina, a young woman, who must work in the factory. She is lucky
enough to share an apartment with the grannies who take care of her
daughter. You get a lot of different perspectives in the book, which is
really interesting.

This book is sort of a really subtle
day-in-the-life kind of story. It's quiet but a great way to gain some
insight into some normal Soviet life.

I also really liked the
setting of the book. You get a good feeling for what living in the city
must have been like under Communism. You get to really feel what it was
like to have to live with people who were strangers at first but who
become family. You get to feel what it was like to work in a factory
like Antonina does.

One thing that was very confusing about the
book was all of the switches between the different characters narrating.
There isn't a really clear delineation between who is narrating and
where their narration stops and begins. It was very confusing. It
definitely took a little away from the book. The book was still very
enjoyable but I spent a lot of time trying to figure out who was
talking.

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About Me

I have always loved to read. I decided to get into book blogging to share the books I love with other fellow readers! For any questions, comments, concerns or just to chat, shoot me an email at abookishaffair(at)gmail(dot)com ! I usually respond to emails quickly!
All opinions on this blog are my own, regardless of where I got the book!